“…what would Lincoln have seen when he practiced the
law?” (ix)
The Book
Abraham
Lincoln is known for his honesty, debates with Stephen Douglas, and presidency.
Many people know that Lincoln was a lawyer, but few know the details behind the
profession he spent the most time in. Brian Dirck attempts to rectify that in
his book, Lincoln the Lawyer.
Not much is
known about Lincoln’s law practice; detailed records where not kept and,
according to Dirck, many embellished their accounts after Lincoln’s death.
Lincoln studied for four years prior to taking the bar exam and was a junior
partner in two different law firms from 1837-1844. In 1844, he asked William
Henry Herndon to be his junior partner. Dirck uses the words of Lincoln, his
partners, and clerks to help paint a picture of Lincoln the lawyer.
Dirck comes
to the conclusion that practicing law had a great impact on Lincoln’s politics.
In my opinion, this final chapter is the best part of the book. Dirck shows the
reader that law built Lincoln’s networking and general people skills and shaped
his language and arguments. Dirck traces connections between Lincoln’s writings
and thought-processes as president with legal concepts. The law practice
ultimately taught Lincoln the value of grease (in a figurative sense) to allow
things to function.
The book is well-written and provides new insight into our 16th
President. However, it is geared more towards the academic reader than the
average history buff. The chapters are broken down by topic, which makes it
easy to pick up after a break from reading. The majority of the book explains
the time period, how men became lawyers, and the various types of cases. It is
important for the reader to have this background information, but it often
feels like a history of antebellum law, rather than a Lincoln biography.
The Place
Lincoln's Law Office is located
across the square from the Old State Capitol Building in Springfield. The whole square has a
historic feel, as if the visitor has stepped back in time. If you close your
eyes, you can imagine Lincoln walking to his office.
At the time of this writing, Lincoln’s Law Office is closed for
renovations. Unfortunately, due to the budget crisis in Illinois, it is unclear
when the site will be re-opened. While you may not be able to enter Lincoln’s
Law Office, it is still worth it to walk past the place where an influential president spent his days practicing law.
